VW ID.4

Looks similar to every other crossover on the market at the moment and the shape is becoming very bland. I am keeping an eye out for the buzz which if in anyway similar to the concept would replace my classic camper.

A bit bland if I'm honest. Their current line up of cross overs looks better. It looks like they've gone a bit Toyota with the styling.

Think it looks class - like the etron it doesn’t look like it’s an EV. The size looks decent too so looks promising. Hope the interior is not lower quality than currrnt Tiguan/ Kodiaq level

https://electrek.co/2020/08/20/vw-starts-id-4-electric-suv-production/amp/

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/2021-volkswagen-id-4-online-reservation-100-deposit/


Interested parties will be able to reserve their spot in line for the upcoming Volkswagen ID4 electric crossover with a $100 deposit when preorders open next month. In a call with journalists today, the automaker detailed its "New Volkswagen Customer Experience," a new online reservation system that aims to streamline the car shopping process.

Online reservations are becoming the new normal for high-profile, high-demand vehicle launches -- just look at all of the hullabaloo surrounding the upcoming Ford Bronco or any vehicle that Tesla has launched in the last decade -- so it's no surprise to see VW adopting the tactic with the ID 4. Formerly known as the ID Crozz concept, it's the first in its ID series of dedicated electric vehicles to arrive in the US. Meanwhile, we've seen more stages of the buying process shifting online, a trend that's only been accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic.

"With COVID, our dealers have seen very quickly that customers are demanding a new way of working and a new way of interacting with the brand and the business," says Duncan Movassaghi, executive vice president of VW Sales and Marketing. "What we as a brand have looked to do -- and I think that COVID has very much accelerated this for all of us -- is to bring a way of selling to our customers that is in line with how they are operating in the rest of their lives."

For the ID 4, that way of selling will start at the online portal, where buyers will begin researching the vehicle like any other. There will be information about the vehicle -- the "how far, how fast and how much" in the words of Dustin Krause, director of emobility at Volkswagen Group of America -- as well as shopping tools specific to the ID 4. A commute and range estimator, payment estimation tool and a savings calculator that compares cost of operating an electric vehicle to that of an internal combustion engine aim to help prospective buyers figure out if the ID 4 will work for their specific lifestyle.

Once decided, users will be able to configure and reserve their ID 4. VW's Krause says that the EV's available configurations have been streamlined to make building the ID 4 online "more similar to buying a new iPhone than a new car." Expect three trim levels (and a limited 1st Edition model), seven colors and simplified options for powertrain (rear-wheel or all-wheel drive). The specifics of these configurations hasn't been finalized and are subject to change with the production ID 4 unveiling in a few weeks.

Options chosen, the buyer will then reserve their ID 4 with a $100 refundable deposit. At that time, they'll pick their preferred dealership for delivery and will be able to track the status of their order via a "My VW" online portal. Here, they'll be able to change or cancel their order, monitor their estimated delivery date and track every step their ID 4 makes, from leaving the factory to arriving in the US to reaching the dealership for purchase.

At about the halfway point approaching delivery, the customer will be asked to make an additional $400 vehicle deposit to lock in their chosen options for production. VW tells me that the cumulative $500 deposited will be applied to the purchase price and remain refundable throughout the entire preorder process.

Buyers will still have to go to the dealership to finalize the purchase of their ID 4. The New Volkswagen Customer Experience isn't designed to completely replace that part of the process

Once we've taken a reservation, all of that detail is there for the dealer and we would certainly want them engaged through the period of preorder with the customer," Movassaghi said. "It's very much about us and our dealers working together to engage the customer and work with them flexibly in the way that they want to."

Prospective owners who'd prefer an in-person experience will still be able to head to their preferred dealer to learn about and reserve their EV with the help of ID 4 specialists at each location. VW also states that as production ramps up, there will be a number of ID 4 examples reserved and arriving at dealerships for customer demonstrations.

We have some customers, obviously, that still prefer the more traditional car buying experience, but we also see a fast growing population of customers who want to go online, find their car and purchase it with no or very little intervention," said Krause.
When asked how this new web-centric buying paradigm will affect the rest of VW's vehicle sales, Movassaghi said, "I don't see cars like Atlas, Tiguan or any new SUV that has an [internal combustion engine] that we're launching going down this same route as far as preorders, but I do think in terms of online purchase, that's something we're looking to expand out across the model range."

We'll learn more about the Volkswagen ID 4 itself, including specs, final range and pricing when the production electric SUV is officially unveiled next month. Expect online preorders to launch concurrent with the unveiling with the first deliveries estimated to arrive by the end of this year.

I could live with that ID4 but not the ID3. Even has a tow hitch which is a deal breaker for me. Nice car, agree it will be a best seller

Agent_47 wrote: »

I could live with that ID4 but not the ID3. Even has a tow hitch which is a deal breaker for me. Nice car, agree it will be a best seller

Oh yeah, they'll fly out of the garage, no doubt about it. I'd just have preferred a mid size battery around 60kWh like the Enyaq. I wonder why they're going a different direction to Skoda.

Can't wait for the 23rd

[Deleted User] wrote: »

The id4 interior looks nicer in my opinion compared to the Model Y or S or 3, Outside it looks better too.

Anyone know if the id4 will have the same level of automation as Autopilot ?

I think if I'm to get a new car that for the amount of Motorway miles I'm doing tesla's Autopilot would be what would swing me towards a model 3.

But, I'm doing too many kms now to be buying new cars lol.

I've not experienced either so all I know is from manuals and youtube videos

From what I can tell, VW travel assist will cover all the basics of autopilot; radar guided cruise control, lane keeping, emergency braking and can stop and start in traffic.

VW has predictive speed limiting, so it'll read speed signs and adjust the cruise control setting accordingly. Tesla relies on gps data which can be inaccurate sometimes.

Tesla seems to focus on having the autopilot handle navigation decisions whereas VW leave that up to the driver, so it won't take a motorway exit for you.

I'm going to venture that autopilot is a bit better since tesla have been developing it longer and have a better data set to work off of. Also Tesla are probably quicker with software updates so autopilot will likely age better. Having said that, tesla also have a spotty history with upgrading hardware in the model 3 (some get it, some don't with no real explanation)

The VW travel assist is only on the highest trim levels of the ID.3 and I'm gonna guess it'll be that same for the ID.4, so it'll be an extra cost over the base price

KCross wrote: »

Just to clarify, all ID.3’s and presumably all ID.4, Enyaqs etc have that by default.

Travel assist adds extra on top of those.

Correct yes, travel assist kind of ties all these together in one system and is capable of suggesting actions like an overtake on a dual carriageway.

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Cheers for the replies, I would assume teslas Ap to be much more advanced but no experience with either.

I'd say in terms of features they're quite similar, I think the advantage of autopilot is that Tesla have been developing it longer, so it's probably a smoother experience overall.

However as was pointed out, the lower trims have adaptive cruise control and lane keeping, which covers about 90% of what you'd want autopilot for (drive on main road, don't crash into car in front, don't drive off road).

So you could have a budget solution for cheaper than the Model Y.

Personally there are 3 main reasons why I'd choose the ID.4 over Tesla right now:

1. Price - I can probably get an ID.4 with the features I want for cheaper than the Model Y. The model 3 is too small for what I need right now.

2. Convenience - The only Tesla service center in Ireland is on the other side of Dublin through the most heavily trafficked roads in the country. There's a VW garage a 15 min jog away, I can drop the car in for a service, jog home and work from home instead of taking the day off.

3. Looks - Yeah it's subjective, and a lot of people are gonna disagree, but I prefer the look of the ID series cars, and I really like the interior of the ID.4

So there's my analysis, I know it's very specific to my situation but I think everyone should think about this sort of stuff before committing to a new car. What works for others may or may not suit you

Deleted User wrote: »

It looks a lot nicer than the id.3 inside, the id.3 should have been better to be honest.

Can't imagine what a decent spec id.4 will cost, probably 50K at least and with travel assist I might consider one over a model 3 but I doubt it will have more than 120 Kw charging on offer. I'd be more betting it will be closer to 60K with decent power. Same motor as the id.3 and it will be too slow.

It's going to be more inefficient than the id.3 and m3 too but not really a big problem for my 142-155 kms commute.

The starting prices have been mentioned around €40k, which puts it in Tiguan R line territory. That's 10k more to play with than the ID.3 so I'm guessing they'll spend a bit more on the interior.


They'll probably have a 'budget' interior closer to the ID.3 as well.


VW seem to tune the charging power to the battery size to keep it to around 30-45 mins. For example the 58kWh ID.3 can charge up to 100kW, but the 77kWh can charge up to 125kW.


Of course this will likely be an option same as the ID.3. Base will probably have 50kW DC charging, although if they upped to 75kW or something a bit higher would be nice



The motor will probably not provide much entertainment, but considering the majority of cars in that segment seem to be used to ferry the kids to school then it'll be fine for everyday driving. More power hungry customers will probably wait for the AWD version


Battery sizes seem a tad bizarre, no middle option to speak of, only 52kWh and 77kWh. Something in the mid 60s would have been nice too, I feel like 52kWh might be a tad short for a road trip.


Drag has been mentioned around 0.28c which is E-tron territory, so it'll likely be a thirsty vehicle on the motorway

drumm23 wrote: »

that's not great

Yeah it seems a bit high, I mean it looks sleeker than the E-tron so it should be more aerodynamic


The E-tron carries a lot of weight around as well (nearly 2.5 tonnes) so if the ID.4 is lighter that'll give it a slight boost